“I’m O.K. with it, My voice was used in the performance. I think that’s enough“, Yang Peiyi told her interviewer on a TV show this Monday, this seven-year-old girl who is the real singer of ” Ode to the Motherland” at the opening ceremony, had to stay at home on last Friday night, listen her song performed by the other girl–Lin Miaoke–chosen by organisers, just because the latter is cute and appealing but “not suitable” as a singer, and the former is the best singer but not cute (NYTimes).
Yet, I am not O.K. with it. The song stirred my blood that night, though I disliked Lin’s artificial smiling face. I was deeply upset when it was exposed as a fake. I feel sorry for Peiyi, the real songbird behind the curtain, and just wonder about the stupid way they have chosen. An editor of the Washington Post, wrote in his blog (Pomfret’s China)that he could not figuring out how a nation of 1.3 billion people can’t find a little girl who can be adorable and sing well at the same time, I think he is not the only one who is having this trouble.
Left, Agence France-Presse; Right, Zhou Liang/Xinhua
“I don’t see there is anything wrong with it“, said Wang Wei, vice president of the Beijing Olympic organising committee.
Yet, I do not believe there is anything right with it. Almost no one acknowledged Peiyi for her voice after the ceremony, she (Lin Miaoke) “is very cute and sings quite well, too”, Mr. Zhang Yimou, the director of the ceremony, said at a news conference(NYTimes). Even Chen Qigang, the musical director of the ceremony who revealed fact in a radio programme, said that he thought it was fair to both Lin Miaoke and Yang Peiyi (联合早报). “The audience will understand that it’s in the national interest“, Chen added. I can not believe any nation would take discrimination of appearance as its interest. More gold medalists in Olympic games is also in the national interest, should our athletes use stimulants in order to archieve this interest?
Just in the name of the national interest, Beijing banned most of vehicles on road during the Game, immigrant workers were persuaded not stay in Beijing at the time, lip-synching and fake fireworks were used as right ways in ceremony. It’s our 100-year dream to host Olympic games, I understand that the gov is eager to make everything perfect in front of the world. But we should take an honest way to fulfill our dream, otherwise we will turn dreams into illusions and string ourselves along with false expetations.